Electric switch.



I. R. SLOAN & G. H. LIEBEGOTT.-

ELECTRIC sw|TcH.

APPLICATION FILED JULY I8. 1916. y 1,274,094. PantedJu1y3Q191s.

2 SHEETS-SHUT 1.

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JAMEsnIcHA-BD sLoAN AND GEORGE H. Liniarzeo'rr,l or AL'roon-A,f.PENN'sYIivgAm-a. 'I

. ELECTRIC SWITCH.

. Specification of Letters fatent. `v j A .ippliation fne'dnruiyie, 191s. yserial Nmioppi.

Groenl H. LIEBEGo'r'r, citizens oftheUnited States, residin Altoona, in the county of Blair and tate of Pennsylvania,fhave invented certain new and useful Improves ments in ElectricSwitches, of which'theV following is a specification-- This invention relates to electric switches, and more particularly toa device of'this character that is especially adapted for 'use in connection with electropneuinatic brake signals.

kPrimarily the invention proposes to provide a novel switching device whereby` the train operator may signal desired informa tion to the motormanor engineer. In this connection it may be lnoted that the'inventionis of special utility onelectricallyoperated trains, such as vare now coming into more vgeneral use, and valthough especially designed for this purpose, its application to steam operatedcars may be readily accom# plished by the zuseof suitable storage batteries and pneumatic valves. Accordingly, `it will be apparent that the .present invention has vin view a switch adapted tobe used in connection with Aa signal idevice, whereby an electric circuit may beclosed toa pneumatic valve of the train signal system to admitV air into a suitable audible signal device VVarranged .in 'a convenient, position within` the.

drivers compartment. Y V Another object of thisinvention is toV provide a signalingrdevice thatwil'l stand the usual Vrough usagey given' suchrdevicesr` by train operators whilejat the same :timefpro-Y vide a mechanism that is freefrom operatsuch as burned terminals, short circuits Vand similar ailments common to devices of this nature.

A still-further, object ofthe present ,invention is to'provide a suitable case, wherein'the switch mechanismV is contained, such that the various parts'of the device are held 1 in position and alinement,5 in addition to furmshingmieans for ,securingfthe case to the car body together with provisionfor at- V taching suitable electrical conduit pipe in vwhich the wires tothe ypneumatic valves are placed.

With these Vandmany lother `objectsy in Vviewwhich will more Areadily appear as the nature of the inventionis better understood, the sameconslstsin the novel'construction,

shownin Fig. l;

`the ring-in place. I

Fig. shows a plan edge, view1-ofa 100 combination, and varrangement'fof lparts' as hereinafter more fully A. described, illustrated, and claimed. Y, A 1

A preferred and practical embodiment of the invention is illustrated/in the accompanying drawings, in whichv `Figure'l shows a front Aelevation,"partly in `section of our imp'roved train signal switch. W I f n 'Fig. 2 lshows a sideelevation lof fthe'L parts Fig 3 is aplan yviewv ofthe'switchas shownin Fig. l. Y i l Fig. l is a composite .illustrationishowing bottomy plan, elevation, and top.':plan..eviews V70i of the circuit. closing elementjlwhichl-car- I ries the Vcontactring. Y y 'Fig 5 shows applanl and edgerviewof-the contact'ring. f-

Fig..6 is a composite illustration showing top plan, side elevation and sectional views Y. i

ofv one ofY the: .wire-...terminal ffplates .upon which-the contact ring impingesi y Fig. 7 shows" a cylindrical bushing- .which insulates Y the terminalfplates. shownin fEig. 6.of the'drawings Vfromfthe teasing. ,ff l, Fig. `8v shows A*top 'plan' and .edge viewsiof the botto1n-finsul-ation ring: whichjis shown in position in Fig. Lofy the drawings. l

Fig. 9 -shows V sectional andelevational 85 views `of the combinedyibottom.,closure-,plug i and circuit closing element guide. Y F-igflO shows'threel '.viewsofthei ing blo'ckswhich are adapted toll) y posed-between the Vtwo terminal plates shown in Fig. ofthedrawings; Y" "3 ,Y F Fig. llgshows an edgeandisidewelevation of. `an insulating washer which i'sadaptedto be interposed between the ,..shoulderj of.tll ie circuit closerV plunger' andthe contactring.

Fig. 12 shows a similar-washerwhichis, l adapted to be positioned' between the `Vcirgsuitf closing ring and the clamping nut thatholds washer.thatjsurroundsthe s :hf'anlgof.,cir-V cuit closing device and' Imsu'lates.-the.'con#- tact ringitherefrom., e.

jv Fig-i4 1S a ,ipp pian. and sideljizievfpfftiie .sleeve of responding parts'throughoutgthe severalfigures of the drawings.

vice is adapted to be used in an electric train signaling system, of the type now employed on electrically operated trains, and wherein a pneumatic valve opens the air valve to sound a whistle placed in the motormans compartment. Thus, the present invention contemplates a switching device for closing the circuit to the electro-magnets of the air valve, which switch device may be operated by the train-man in a convenient manner to close the magnet circuit, and thus sound the signal.

The present switch device essentially includes a hollow casing member 1 having an offset wire inlet extension 2, and a cap member 3, which is secured to the main part of the casing by means of the screws o1- equivalent fastenings 4. This cap member may be provided with an attaching bracket 5, whereby the switch may be attached to any convenient part of the car, and in any desired position. VVit-h further reference to the cap member 3 and the casing 1, it may be observed at this point that a novel and practical feature thereof. is the location of the screws or equivalent fastenings 4 for securing the cap and casing together. That 'is to say, the said fastening elements are four in number and equidistant from each other, so that the casing may be iitted to the cap in any one of four positions, whereby the wire inlet extension 2 of the casing may be projected in any one of four vertical planes 90 degrees apart. This feature of the invention is' of much practical importance, since it provides for the att-aching of the bracket iny any convenient place on the car body, -and the positioning of the wire inlet ofthe casing in such a direction that itmay be easily accessible for leading in the circuit wires.

Although the switch device is shown in the vpresent drawing with its operating arm in anvupright position, the same may be inverted, and in fact, the device is used in this position in the majority of cases. The end of the casing 1 opposite the cap 3 is provided with a detachable closure plug having they nut portion 7, so that the same vmay be readily turned by means of a suitv`abletool to 'screw the plug into and out of position.

Referring now more particularly to theV ldetails of construction, it will be observed `that the said casing 1 is provided with the vcylindrical bore 8, the end of which opposite the point at which the plug G is fitted to the casing, terminates at the wall 9 which is provided with a guide opening,- 10, thus forming a substantially closed switch chamber C. Within this chamber C, there is arranged an insulating sleeve'11, which completely covers all of the face of thebore 8, and the line wire terminals 12 and 13'respectively. These line wire terminals are thus completely insulated from the casing by means of the sleeve 11, and are insulated from each other by means of the insulation blocks 14. As will be observed from the drawings, these line wire terminals are arcshaped pieces of metal, whose upper ends are beveled as at 15 for the purpose herciir after more fully set forth.

The line wire terminals 12 and 13 above referred to are held in position within the switching chamber by means of the insulation ring 16 which abuts against the inner face of the plug 6 and said terminals have attached thereto the line wires which pass through the insulating sleeve 17, as indicated at 18, to suitable openings B in the terminal plates, where the ends of the line wires may be clamped by means of the set screws S. The insulating sleeve 17, above Y `referred to, receives the plug extension 19,

which is provided with a socket 20 for receiving a suitable spring 21.

The spring 21 arranged within the socket 20 is adapted to operatively position a re ciprocating circuit-closing element 22 in the switching chamber C. This circuit closing element essentially includes the opposite guide stems 23 and 24, the former slidably engaging in the socket 20 and ,abutting against the spring 21, while the latter slidably engages the guide opening 10 in the "wall 9 ofthe casing. This circuit-closing device also includes a metallic circuit-closing ring 25 arranged between. the stems 23 and 24, and suitably insulated therefrom. That is to say, this ring 25 is insulated from the plunger element which includes the stems 23 and 24 by means of the washer 25, ferrule 25h, and the relatively large washer 25C. The latter washer isr interposed between one edge of the ring 25 and the disk portion 22a,

held out of contact with :the line wire terminal plates 12 and 13, since the entire circuit-closing device is normally pushed toward the wall 9 by the spring 21 regardless of the position in which the entire switch is supported.

Theouter .end of the stem 24 of the circuit-closing device project-s beyond the outer 'l face of the permanent end wall 9 of the casing, and is adapted to abut with the head 26 of an operating member' 27. This loperating member is preferably provided at its free end with an eye 28 for connecting with a trainmans rope, and the head 26 is confined between the end spring-pressed stem4 24 and the curved abutment wall 29 of the interior of the cap member 3. As will be observed from Fig. 3, the cap 3 is circular, and therefore, the abutment wall 29 is also circular, and as the head 26 is of a similar design and provided with the rounded periphery, it will be apparent that the movement of the operating member 27 in any direction will cause the head 26 to hinge on the abutment wall 20 of the cap at a point opposite the direction of pull on the member 27, to thereby tilt theihead and depress the circuit-closing element so that the metallic ring 25 thereof will close the circuit between the wire terminal plates 12 and 13.

Accordingly, it Will be apparent that a novel and distinctive feature of the present invention is the provision of a switch device which is capable of being operated by a pull from any direction. That is to'say, the lpresent switch device is capable of closing the circuit between the wire terminal plates 12 and 13 by movement of the operating member 27, in any direction to cause the reciprocation of the circuit-closing element 22 and thus bring the metallic ring `25 thereof in circuit-closing position with respect to the wire terminal plates. Thus, the construction shown provides in effect a universal joint or coupling between the operating stein and the circuit-closing element, whereby the circuit may be closed regardless of the direction of pull on the operating member.

lVithout further description it is thought that the many features and advantages of the invention will be'readily apparent and it will be understood that various changes in the form, proportion and minor details of the construction may be resorted `to withcut'departing from the spirit, or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

lVe claim:

1. An electric switch device including a hollow casing open at one end and having a closed wall at the other provided with a guide opening, a cap member having a central opening and adapted to be fitted to the closed end of said casing and cooperating therewith to provide a clearance chamber,

. line wire contacts arranged Within the hollow'casing, a plug detachably fitted in the open end of thecasing and having a sleeve portion projecting therein, a circuit closer having opposite stem portions one of which is guided Vin the opening in the closed end wall and the other of which is guided in said sleeve of the plug, a spring for maintaining the circuit closer out of contact of the line-v wire terminals, and a circuit closer operating member located in the clearance space of the cap.

2. An electric switch device including a casing, separate line wire terminal plates arranged within the casing and insulated therefrom, a circuit closing member consisting of a circular body having opposite guide stem portions one of which projects through and beyond the upper wall of the casing, a spring for holding said circuit closing inember normally out of contact with'said ter1ninal plates, and an operating unit for the circuit closing 4member fitted to the top of the casing and forming a housing for the exposed end of the stem and an operating memberincluding a head portion clamped.' between the exposed end of Ithe circuit 'closer land the housing and an operating shank: portion projecting from said head.

.3. An electric switch device including a casing, line wire terminal contact plates arranged within the casing and insulated therefrom, a plug detachably fitted in one i end of said casingand having a socket, a permanent end wall formed at the other en d of said casing, a cap member fitted to the j casing and carrying an attaching bracket,Y

I ner side of said cap and one ofthe stem portions of said circuit closing member.

4. An electric switch device including a casing having a guide opening, arc shaped line wire terminal plates arranged within the casing and insulated therefrom and also insuably fitted within one end of said casing and' having a hollow sleeve portion insulated from Asaid line wire terminal plates, a circuit closer having a disk body and opposite axial stem portions, one of which is guided in the hollow sleeve portion of the plug and the other of which slidably engages in the guide opening of the casing, a spring housed in the hollow sleeveof the plug-'and engaging the stern of the circuit closer disposed therein, a cap member fitted to the casing, and an operating member having a fiat head portion intervlated from each other, a screw plug detachposed between one end of the circuitclosing c i member and the interior base ofthe cap. In testimony whereof they have affixed their signatures in presence of 'two witnesses.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for vef cents each, by addressing the-.Commissicnerf Patenti,

, i v Washington, D. C. I

GEORGE H. LIEBEGOTT.; f j 

